“Come on, I’ll take you to see a play. A play… that you won’t expect. After watching it, you’ll feel more depressed, but it’s something you won’t want to miss seeing.”

A-Shi froze immediately, pointing at himself with his mouth agape: “Me?”

“Yes, you, or rather, your accent,” Huang Zixia took the ‘Return to Inner Classic’ from Zhou Ziqin’s hands and placed it in front of him. “Please read all the medicine names in this prescription.”

A-Shi stared blankly at everyone present. Only after seeing the officials from the Court of Judicial Review nod did he nervously read one by one: “Bai Lian, Xi Xin, Bai Zu (Shu), Gan Song, Bai Jia (Jiang) Can, Bai Lian Xin, Bai Fu Ling, Bai Fu Zi, Bai Ji, Yi Yi Ren…”

As everyone listened, before they could comprehend, Huang Zixia raised her hand to stop him: “Wait, please read this medicine again.”

Her hand rested on the two characters for “Bai Zhi.”

A-Shi opened and closed his mouth, then read again: “Bai Ji…”

“Did everyone notice?” Huang Zixia asked. “A-Shi has some pronunciation issues. That’s why I noticed earlier when he said ‘shi Chen’ it became ‘xi chen’; when he said ‘yi zhi’ it became ‘yi ji’ — so I noticed one of the medicines here, Bai Zhi.”

Huang Zixia’s finger pointed to the two characters for “Bai Zhi” on the prescription, raising it for everyone to see: “A-Shi just read it twice, and I believe everyone heard clearly. As I expected, the sound he made was consistent ‘Bai Ji.'”

Zhou Ziqin and the officials from the Court of Judicial Review suddenly understood, their eyes widening in shock as they turned to look at Zhang Xingying.

Zhang Xingying’s face instantly became rigid, his muscles twitching slightly.

Huang Zixia slowly closed the ‘Return to Inner Classic’ in her hands, gripping it while asking slowly and clearly: “Second Brother Zhang, you said you hadn’t memorized this prescription and hadn’t seen the prescription used for getting the medicine at that time. So, what you heard should have been ‘Bai Ji.’ Why then, when you were proving you were there at the time, did you say you heard him reading ‘Bai Zhi’?”

Zhang Xingying stood there frozen, his face turning from white to green, yet unable to speak a word.

Zhou Ziqin stood stiffly in the hall, staring at Zhang Xingying with disbelief: “Second Brother Zhang… how do you plan to explain this?”

The Court officials signaled to the guards, and four quickly surrounded Zhang Xingying to prevent any sudden movements.

Zhang Xingying seemed unaware of this, still standing there dazed, his expression changing as he desperately tried to think of something but couldn’t find where to begin.

Huang Zixia spoke slowly: “Second Brother Zhang, let me recount yesterday’s events. After I left the Clan Court pavilion in Xiuzheng District, you followed me, waiting for an opportunity to strike. At that moment, because I needed to buy medicine for Prince Kui, I fell right into your trap. You led me to the familiar Duanrui Hall and took me to the medicine preparation room. Inside, the medicinal smell was overwhelming, and you discreetly used sleeping drugs to knock me out, then went out to chat with people to create an alibi. Because everyone else was busy, you chose A-Shi, someone you weren’t familiar with. Then after some time passed, you waited for his prescription—one that you knew well. After hearing the first few medicines, you understood what prescription it was, and meanwhile, unfortunately, A-Qi had just entered the medicine preparation room to get something. So you immediately snuck in, killed him, placed the weapon in my arms, and quickly returned—at this point, A-Shi’s prescription wasn’t even complete, and he hadn’t noticed at all that you had gone behind the medicine cabinet to the preparation room and returned!”

Zhang Xingying’s face turned ashen. His originally tall frame now seemed unable to stand steady, swaying slightly.

The guards beside him immediately pushed back the crowd, and everyone scattered, keeping their distance.

Huang Zixia stared at him, her voice clear and firm, certain: “Second Brother Zhang, you didn’t expect that killing someone would be such a difficult task. The method that should have been foolproof in your plan failed because you, unfortunately, chose A-Shi, and because of his speech impediment, it led to your plan falling apart, exposing such a major flaw!”

“I shouldn’t have… gone to such lengths.”

Zhang Xingying finally spoke, his voice slow and strained. His gaze fixed on Huang Zixia, but he seemed to be looking at his mortal enemy, his eyes bloodshot and filled with fury: “I should have, as initially planned, killed you directly.”

The venom in his voice was terrifying, making Zhou Ziqin cry out in shock: “Second Brother Zhang, what… what are you saying!”

Huang Zixia didn’t respond, she merely raised her chin slightly, her gaze stubbornly fixed on him without blinking.

“I was truly foolish, why did I have to be soft-hearted at the last moment… I had originally planned to kill you directly in the medicine preparation room, after all, I had an alibi, and even if I was suspected and questioned, I might not necessarily have been caught…” he gnashed his teeth, howling with regret, “But I worried that since I had come with you, I would be the most suspicious person! I left you there, trying to create an alibi…”

Huang Zixia closed her eyes, turning her head away from his hateful glare, her chest heaving violently, yet finding her throat too dry to speak a single word.

“I chatted with A-Shi, waiting for an opportunity, waiting for that prescription I had been forced to memorize by my father, I knew my chance had come… but at the same time, I discovered A-Qi going behind the medicine cabinet into the preparation room. At that moment I almost wanted to give up, I thought my opportunity was slipping away, and not knowing when A-Qi would come out, I feared I couldn’t kill you anymore…” His expression was wild, seeming to have fallen into madness, and the four guards quickly rushed to restrain him. But Zhang Xingying seemed not to notice, still shouting at Huang Zixia, “Just then, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind, I thought… I might not be able to kill you myself, but eventually, someone would help me kill you! As long as I framed you, you would end up in prison, and someone would deal with you! Let’s see how you can still dream of saving Prince Kui, that criminal of the Great Tang!”

Listening to his angry accusations, Huang Zixia felt an uncontrollable pain in her eyes, the burning pain in her chest seemed to reach her eyes, where something threatened to burst forth unstoppably. Looking at Zhang Xingying’s now grotesque face before her, she asked with difficulty: “Second Brother Zhang, we’ve known each other for no short time, we’ve shared both good times and bad, faced life and death together… You’ve always helped and supported me, even saved me in Shu, so why are you treating me like this now?”

“I did it for the empire, for our Great Tang!” He screamed like a madman, his voice clear as if right next to her ears, “Huang Zixia! You and Prince Kui are in cahoots, and as Prince Kui’s guard, I know better than anyone else! After Prince Kui was possessed by Pang Jun, he secretly plotted to overthrow the Great Tang empire, intending to rebel! I know all about your evil deeds in my heart, but unfortunately, being of humble status, I couldn’t expose your crimes to the world!”

She tightly closed her eyes, breathing deeply. But even though she desperately tried to control her tears from falling, she couldn’t control her swaying body and violently trembling arms. She unconsciously leaned back, her entire body resting against the wall, barely supporting herself to keep from falling.

Everyone around was whispering, the secrets of Prince Kui’s mansion exciting them all, each pondering Zhang Xingying’s words.

The guards struggled to restrain the agitated Zhang Xingying, but due to his tall stature, they couldn’t completely control him, almost being overthrown instead. The four had to hold onto Zhang Xingying tightly, putting chains on him.

Pinned to the ground, Zhang Xingying’s eyes were completely red as he continued to stare fixedly at Huang Zixia. His voice was already hoarse, but he still roared in that raspy voice: “Huang Zixia! You and Prince Kui Li Zi, plotting rebellion, wanting to throw the empire into chaos, you’ll surely meet a bad end! I’m of humble birth, what do I fear about death? Even if I die, I must let the world know of your crimes!”

The officials of the Court of Judicial Review were terrified and dared not listen further, quickly ordering someone to gag Zhang Xingying.

But they only heard Zhang Xingying laugh coldly several times, and suddenly black blood gushed from his forcibly opened mouth. His eyes remained fixed on Huang Zixia, opened so wide as if trying to turn his gaze into swords to pierce her directly. However, those eyes gradually became clouded with the gray of death, and he soon collapsed, falling heavily in the hall, never to move again.

The guards who had just barely managed to restrain him, seeing him suddenly fall, were still frightened. Someone carefully kicked him, and seeing no movement, crouched down to check his breathing, then turned him over in shock to examine him.

Zhou Ziqin quickly ran over, holding him and calling out repeatedly: “Second Brother Zhang, Second Brother Zhang!”

His face was black and purple, with no breath remaining.

Zhou Ziqin held him blankly for a long while before looking up at Huang Zixia and saying softly: “Second Brother Zhang… committed suicide by poison.”

Huang Zixia leaned against the wall, feeling only darkness before her eyes, unable to see or hear clearly. She vaguely made an “mm” sound, continuing to lean there without moving.

Seeing no response from her, Zhou Ziqin spoke again: “Just like Old Master Lü, he died by biting into a poison wax pill… I never thought he would learn this.”

Huang Zixia seemed to come back to her senses then, mumbling: “Old Master Lü? Lü… Dicui?”

Zhou Ziqin opened his mouth but didn’t know what she was saying, nor what he should say, and couldn’t speak for a long time.

Zhang Xingying’s body, in Zhou Ziqin’s arms, gradually grew cold.

He and Huang Zixia both had only one thought in their minds—

What about Dicui?

In Puning District, it was a quiet afternoon.

A group of women still sat under the old locust tree, doing needlework while chatting about household matters. Several cats and dogs were fighting in the warm sunlight. Just after the New Year, children still had a few candies in their pockets and were playing happily with sheep knucklebones and kicking shuttlecocks, betting those candies.

Zhou Ziqin and Huang Zixia arrived at Zhang Xingying’s door, and through the leafless hibiscus hedge, they could see the neatly maintained courtyard inside, with clear water channels under the grape trellis, where there were still a few withered but standing iris plants.

Zhou Ziqin carefully asked: “Miss Huang, will someone from the Court of Judicial Review come here soon to inform them?”

Huang Zixia nodded, saying softly: “They should. After my suspicion is cleared, they will deliver the case files to his home.”

“What about Zhang Uncle… what can we do?” Zhou Ziqin asked with a worried face.

Huang Zixia stared at the neatly trimmed hibiscus hedge, lost in thought, saying nothing.

“Then… do we have to go in and tell them this news?” Zhou Ziqin didn’t want to be the bearer of this news.

Huang Zixia hesitated for a moment, then said: “Otherwise, I’m afraid when the Court officials arrive, Dicui might not react in time and something might happen.”

Zhou Ziqin was startled and asked: “Dicui?”

Huang Zixia nodded slightly and went to knock on the door. Zhou Ziqin became anxious, quickly pulling down her sleeve and asking: “Tell me, what’s going on? Why suddenly mention Dicui?”

“After we discovered Dicui’s whereabouts and told Second Brother Zhang, we never saw Dicui again, right?” Huang Zixia stared at the tightly closed door and spoke slowly, “Moreover, if not for being with Second Brother Zhang, how would Dicui have known that we would be in danger?”

“You mean that as soon as Second Brother Zhang returned to the capital, he had already reunited with Dicui? Just that… that he never told us?”

“Yes, so when we told Second Brother Zhang about Dicui’s whereabouts, we only made them more cautious about hiding. That’s also why we could never find Dicui again no matter what.”

As they were talking, an elderly voice came from inside the courtyard: “Who is it?”

Zhou Ziqin quickly raised his voice, saying: “Uncle, it’s me, Zhou Ziqin. Second Brother Zhang brought us to see you several times before, do you remember?”

“Oh, Young Master Zhou.” Zhang’s father cheerfully came to open the door. Seeing Huang Zixia, he didn’t recognize her as the Yang Chonggu who had visited before, and Zhou Ziqin simply said: “This is also Second Brother Zhang’s friend.”

“Oh, please come in, both of you.” Zhang’s father smiled and let them into the courtyard, looked inside, and prepared to make tea. Huang Zixia spoke up: “Uncle, don’t worry, Second Brother Zhang has told us about Dicui, we all know she’s here.”

“This child… still so straightforward,” Zhang’s father said with slight embarrassment, smiling, “but this also shows you are his best friend, he naturally trusts you, that’s why he told you.”

Since that was the case, he no longer hid anything and invited them inside to sit down, calling upstairs: “Dicui, Second Brother Zhang’s friends are here, come down and help make some tea.”

“Alright, I’m coming down.” She came down immediately, saw them sitting in the hall, gave a slight curtsy, and somewhat unnaturally turned to go to the kitchen to make tea.

Zhang’s father sat down before them with a smile, saying: “Xingying should still be on duty at Prince Kui’s mansion today, what brings you two to see him?”

Zhou Ziqin was at a loss for words when he heard this question, and could only look helplessly at Huang Zixia.

Huang Zixia looked at Zhang’s father before her, also not knowing how to begin, and after a long while, could only say: “Uncle, how has your health been lately? You look very energetic.”

“My health is not bad. This illness of mine was truly difficult, requiring medicine three times a day, each time needing to be freshly decocted for two hours, and had to be taken on time, so I had no hope of it being cured completely. But since Dicui came, she gets up at the fourth watch every day to decoct medicine for me, unfailingly serving me medicine three times a day. Even I got tired of just drinking the medicine, but she patiently persisted in persuading me to drink it, and after several months, I finally started showing improvement,” Zhang’s father said with emotion, looking toward the kitchen. “That time after she fled the capital, she came back soon after, worried that with no one to help decoct my medicine, my illness would relapse! How could I turn away such a good child? Even if it meant risking the whole family, I had to keep her! It’s just that at the time, Xingying had already gone down to Sichuan to search for people, and we couldn’t notify him, so we had to wait until he returned to tell him this good news.”

Listening to his words, Zhou Ziqin and Huang Zixia looked at each other, both not knowing how to broach the subject. Zhou Ziqin’s eyes had even turned red, and he was biting his lower lip hard, afraid that he would cry if he opened his mouth.

Seeing their strange expressions, Zhang’s father became somewhat puzzled, and seeing Zhou Ziqin’s expression in particular, he felt something was wrong and was about to ask when Dicui came up with the tea tray, so he held his questions and simply distributed tea to everyone.

After everyone had drunk a few sips of tea, Zhang’s father asked: “Oh yes, Young Master Zhou, did you help me ask about that matter from last time?”

Zhou Ziqin quickly nodded: “Uncle, you mean that painting? I did ask around, at the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the Capital Prefecture, I had acquaintances search through all the evidence rooms, but they all said it wasn’t in their possession.”

Zhang’s father could only say: “It must be somewhere, we’ll keep looking.”

Seeing the topic had shifted, Huang Zixia asked: “Old Uncle Zhang, could you tell us in detail about when you went to take the emperor’s pulse in the palace that year?”

“Oh, speaking of that, it was the most glorious moment of my life…” At this point, his wrinkled face suddenly became animated, “I remember it was early March of the sixth year of Huichang, one evening when I was about to finish my clinic hours, suddenly someone came to find me. When I saw it was an old eunuch with a pale face and no beard, I was immediately puzzled – eunuchs should see palace physicians in the palace, why come to find me? And when that eunuch spoke, I was truly both shocked and delighted—”

Zhou Ziqin knew it must have been to summon him to the palace, but his thoughts were in such chaos at this moment that he couldn’t respond, and could only quietly wait for Zhang’s father to continue.

Zhang’s father didn’t mind his reaction and continued cheerfully: “At that time, the eunuch said that my good friend Xu Zhiwei had served as a palace physician for many years, and now His Majesty had mistakenly taken some pills and had been intermittently unconscious for several months. He wasn’t specialized in this area, but since I had extensive experience with toxins and paralysis, he had recommended me to try in the palace.”

Zhou Ziqin asked: “So that means Old Uncle Zhang must have shown great skill in the palace, finally succeeding in awakening the Late Emperor, which is why the Late Emperor bestowed that imperial painting?”

Zhang’s father hesitated slightly, then said: “Well, to be honest, I probably only managed to make His Majesty conscious temporarily. Then I left.”

“Probably?” Zhou Ziqin questioned.

Zhang’s father sighed, tapping his head saying: “I’m old now, my memory is somewhat fuzzy. Especially about that day’s events, perhaps because I was too excited, now when I think back it’s all hazy, like a dream, I can’t remember clearly.”

Huang Zixia said: “Just tell us what you do remember.”

“Hmm… at that time when I applied acupuncture to His Majesty, I was very careful. Points like Linqi, Tianchong, Fengchi, I didn’t dare to touch those, it took twelve needles before His Majesty finally regained consciousness…”

Zhou Ziqin blinked: “Then… you remember quite clearly.”

Zhang’s father stroked his beard proudly and said: “This is my expertise, of course I remember. His Majesty opened his eyes and saw me, and Eunuch Wang beside him said it was my acupuncture that had awakened His Majesty, and His Majesty nodded. Another eunuch took me to receive rewards and told me to wait nearby in case I was needed further. So I waited outside with a group of people, thinking it strange that His Majesty had just awakened, yet inside it seemed only Eunuch Wang was attending him…”

Huang Zixia then asked: “Among those waiting outside, was there a Master Mu Shan?”

Zhang’s father slapped his forehead, saying: “I think there was a master, but he only briefly crossed paths with me before going into the hall immediately. I thought it strange that while several princes were waiting outside, a monk went in first.”

“Then what happened?” Zhou Ziqin quickly asked.

“Shortly after that master went in, several princes were also summoned inside. I was still waiting, but the eunuchs said I wasn’t needed anymore, so I had to leave. The Daming Palace was truly vast, I was led out by an old eunuch, looking at the palace buildings around us as we walked, and just as we reached the palace gate, Zhiwei was waiting for me, we talked briefly, and then someone brought something over, saying it was His Majesty’s reward,” Zhang’s father said excitedly. “No need to mention the wealth bestowed, but surprisingly, His Majesty had just awakened and personally painted a scroll for me, it was the greatest honor! Zhiwei also said that in his many years as a palace physician, he had never seen anyone receive such an honor… But alas, just as I received the painting, I heard people running from behind, loudly announcing to everyone that the Late Emperor had passed away… Ah!”

Zhou Ziqin wanted to ask what the Late Emperor looked like, but Huang Zixia gave him a look, and he remembered why they had come today, his mood immediately becoming heavy again. He silently looked at Huang Zixia, who understood his meaning and could only speak up herself, saying: “Old Uncle Zhang, life is but a span, like plants in autumn, this is inevitable… Please don’t be too sad.”

“The Late Emperor passed away more than ten years ago, what do I have to be sad about?” Zhang Weiyi was unconcerned, then remembered and asked, “You two came here today to find Xingying, right? His return time is uncertain, why don’t you try looking for him at Prince Kui’s mansion?”

“No… no, Uncle, actually we came to tell you…” Zhou Ziqin stammered, giving Huang Zixia a look, indicating he wanted to speak with her aside, and whispered, “Perhaps… we could keep this hidden for now, and wait until Old Uncle Zhang’s health recovers before telling him?”

Huang Zixia frowned slightly, saying: “But the Court officials will be here soon, do you think we can keep it hidden then?”

Zhou Ziqin was hesitating, hadn’t spoken yet when suddenly there came a pounding on the door from outside, bang bang bang very forcefully: “Is anyone home? Is anyone there?”

Zhang’s father quickly responded and prepared to open the door.

Huang Zixia raised her hand to stop him, then turned and said softly: “Miss Dicui, quickly go upstairs first.”

Dicui in the inner hall responded and quickly went upstairs.

Zhang’s father asked in surprise: “What’s wrong? The neighbors often come and go here, they won’t enter the inner hall without permission.”

Huang Zixia’s mind was in chaos, and could only say tremblingly: “Old Uncle Zhang… matters of life and death cannot be changed by human power, you… you must try to accept it.”

Zhang’s father looked at her puzzledly, not understanding what she meant, and just reached to open the door.

Outside were two minor officials in official dress, who asked after seeing him: “Are you Zhang Xingying’s family?”

Zhang’s father nodded, quickly asking: “My Xingying… what happened?”

“He’s dead, now lying at the south city mortuary, go identify the body and sign the papers.”

The official, businesslike tone, mercilessly brief words. But Zhang’s father hadn’t yet come to his senses, only standing blankly at the door, woodenly looking at them, forgetting to reach for the case documents in their hands: “What?”

The two men just pushed the papers into his hands, saying: “South City Mortuary, either you or other family members should go identify the body soon, we’re waiting to close the case.”

Zhang’s father stood frozen at the door, his face turning purple-blue, completely bloodless. Seeing this, the two men became somewhat worried, looked inside, and asked: “Old man, you have other family members at home, right? We’ve delivered the papers now, remember to go soon, we’ll take our leave.”

Zhang’s father still stood rigidly there, not moving, only mumbling: “How… how did he die?”

“He tried to frame someone else for murder. After the plot was exposed, he committed suicide out of fear of punishment. In any case, it wasn’t a good end, hurry and identify the body.” After saying this, the two men turned and left. A crowd had already gathered outside the courtyard gate, and hearing Zhang Xingying’s crime, they all pointed and whispered about the Zhang family’s gate, full of doubt and suspicion.

Seeing the crowd outside gossiping, Huang Zixia quickly closed the door, then supported Zhang’s father’s body, calling urgently: “Old Uncle Zhang, Uncle…”

Before she finished speaking, his body had already fallen rigidly. Huang Zixia, being a woman, couldn’t hold up his falling body in time, and could only embrace him as he heavily hit the door behind, making a dull thud.

Zhou Ziqin quickly rushed over to support them but found that Zhang’s father was only breathing out, not breathing in. Dicui, seeing the commotion below from the upstairs window, stumbled down, already crying so hard she was choking, and just knelt on the ground, stroking Zhang’s father’s arm while wailing.

Huang Zixia stood up silently, feeling her shoulder extraordinarily painful, obviously having hit the wall hard earlier, but only stood there dazedly without speaking.

Seeing Dicui crying almost to the point of fainting, Zhou Ziqin became somewhat frightened and quickly said: “Miss Lü, don’t be too heartbroken, this matter… there’s nothing that can be done about this matter…”

As he spoke, he carefully tried to pull the paper from Zhang’s father’s hand but found that document was clutched so tightly, it couldn’t be moved at all. Seeing Dicui crying so hard she could barely breathe, he quickly raised his hand to block the document, giving Huang Zixia a meaningful look.

Huang Zixia endured the severe pain in her shoulder and knelt inconspicuously, preparing to use the hem of her clothes to cover the document, when Dicui bent down, held Zhang’s father’s hand, and looking at the paper, said in a voice trembling almost beyond recognition: “This means… Second Brother Zhang… is dead?”

Huang Zixia knew she had already heard the news upstairs, and could only nod, saying softly: “Yes…”

“I knew it… the day he prepared the poison wax pill for himself, I knew he would end up just like my father…” Dicui’s tears fell like rain as she mumbled, gently laying down Zhang’s father’s hand. She wanted to help support Zhang’s father, but how could her delicate frame lift him?

“Let me.” Zhou Ziqin said, lifting Zhang’s father in his arms and carrying him inside. Huang Zixia felt his pulse, and though weak, it was still stable, allowing her to relax slightly, saying only: “It’s a shock from extreme anger, he’ll be better after some rest.”

Dicui looked at Zhang’s father and wailed loudly.

Zhou Ziqin hesitated several times before finally speaking, asking: “Earlier, at the entrance of the alley, was it you who wrote the character for ‘escape’ for us?”

Dicui nodded once, covering her face as she wept: “After returning from Sichuan, I felt Second Brother Zhang wasn’t right… He would often sigh with worry late into the night, sitting alone in the courtyard staring blankly for entire nights, no matter how I tried to comfort him; he found some poison wax pills from my father’s things and secretly hid them; he… he even took me out once, using me as cover to secretly talk with a young man.”

Zhou Ziqin asked in surprise: “A young man? What could be worth discussing with a child that would make you uneasy?”

“Because… I heard that young man say that his master wanted Huang Zixia… to stop interfering,” Dicui said, covering her face and crying miserably again, “I knew Huang Zixia was Master Yang… I didn’t know what to do, Xingying wanted to kill her, but I remembered Master Yang once whispered the word ‘escape’ in my ear, allowing me to save my life after my father’s death… So I thought, so I thought, I must repay her with this word of escape…”

Though Huang Zixia’s face was disguised beyond recognition, hearing this made her heartache, and she turned away, saying softly: “Huang Zixia… is very grateful for Miss Lü’s kindness.”

Zhou Ziqin sighed and asked again: “Then, that young man, do you know his name? Who was really behind ordering Second Brother Zhang to kill Huang Zixia?”

“I don’t know… that young man, he was quite handsome, speaking such cruel words while constantly eating melon seeds, seeming so casual… I was terrified, I begged Second Brother Zhang not to, but he just turned away his eyes, saying, you don’t understand…”

The room fell silent, with only Dicui’s voice quietly echoing, weak and floating, sounding even more desolate: “I don’t understand… I don’t know, those people who once sat in the small courtyard eating the gulou zi I made, laughing and chatting, shouldn’t we have been friends? How did it come to this in the blink of an eye…”

Zhou Ziqin wanted to comfort her, but before he could speak, his lips were already trembling, tears filling his eyes, unable to say a word.

Huang Zixia bit her lower lip hard to keep her tears from falling, also speechless.

They only heard Dicui’s mumbling voice, soft and weak: “Now, my father is dead, Second Brother Zhang is also dead, what am I to do…”

Huang Zixia’s heart jumped, and she immediately said: “Miss Lü, you must not think of doing anything foolish! Second Brother Zhang is dead… Old Uncle Zhang’s illness has relapsed now, you must… you must take care of yourself, and take good care of Old Uncle Zhang!”

Dicui’s face was ashen, her head lowered as she looked at Zhang’s father lying there, tears falling like rain from her eyes. After a long while, she closed her eyes, slowly nodded, then shook her head.

Huang Zixia didn’t know what she meant, but with her mind in chaos, she could only first send Zhou Ziqin to find Zhang Xingying’s brother in the West Market, then repeatedly urge Dicui to take care of herself and look after Zhang’s father. When Zhang Xingying’s brother and sister-in-law returned, she made sure to tell them to watch over Dicui carefully.

Though Zhang Xingying’s brother and sister-in-law were also grief-stricken, his elder brother still hurried to the south city mortuary to identify the body. His sister-in-law stayed with Dicui, helping her decoct medicine and tend the stove, never leaving her side. Only then did Huang Zixia and Zhou Ziqin feel somewhat relieved and take their leave.

On the way back, both were silent, even Zhou Ziqin not saying a word, keeping his head down in silence. When the two parted at the street corner, Huang Zixia looked up at Zhou Ziqin and saw his face was covered in tears.

She wanted to comfort him but felt her face was also cold with tears.

She turned silently and entered Yongchang District. In a shadowy corner where no one was around, she felt her legs could no longer support her and had to lean against the wall, barely managing to steady her breathing.

She raised her hand to cover her face, wiping away the half-dried tears. In the shadowy place cut off from sunlight, the brick wall was ice-cold. The north wind was like a knife, cutting at her wet eyes until they hurt so much she could barely see the world before her.

She didn’t know how long it took before her breathing steadied and she walked step by step back to the Wang residence.

Inside the gate, on the flat ground beyond the screen wall, a young man was sunning himself while eating melon seeds. A delicate, gentle face hidden within fluffy fox fur appeared even more youthfully fresh and bright in the sunlight.

It was that same carelessly languid youth from when she had visited Master Wang’s residence.

Huang Zixia looked at him, standing in the dark entrance hall, feeling the chill rising from her marrow making all her hair stand on end.

The young man saw her, casually brushed off the melon seed shells from his clothes, stood up, and said: “Miss Huang, Master Wang has been waiting for you.”

In the corridor housing countless small fish, the floor heating kept the fish active and swimming even in this cold winter, their golden and red scales flashing various strange lights in the rippling water.

Those lights were cast upon Wang Zongshi’s face as he slowly turned his head to look at her upon hearing her arrival. The movements of the colorful fish made the water light shimmer, casting flickering lights on his face, making his pale countenance even more unfathomable.

Only when he walked out from under the corridor and his face appeared in daylight did Huang Zixia feel herself slowly relaxing, the suffocating pressure in her chest seeming to lighten somewhat.

Wang Zongshi walked toward her, showing a barely perceptible smile, his voice somewhat cold: “In such cold weather, Miss Huang still moves about, truly young and full of vitality.”

Huang Zixia gave him a slight curtsy: “There have been some complications recently, I assume the Master has heard about them from Yunzhi?”

Hearing her mention “Yunzhi,” Wang Zongshi’s expression softened slightly, and he said methodically: “Indeed, I heard you were involved in a murder case, and Yunzhi discussed it with me. I told him not to worry, to let you handle everything yourself—sure enough, Huang Zixia is still Huang Zixia, handling it easily.”

Huang Zixia lowered her head silently, softly saying “Yes.”

“I truly didn’t misjudge you, even I in my younger days didn’t have such decisiveness,” Wang Zongshi showed a cold smile, his voice slow and fine, carrying an unusually eerie quality like his pale face, “Clean and decisive, not hesitating even with old friends, striking fatally—not giving any chance of survival to those who would harm you.”

Huang Zixia felt nauseous in her chest, yet countless feelings were blocked there, unable to be released. She knew it wasn’t as he said, but Zhang Xingying’s death, Zhou Ziqin’s silence, Dicui’s tears… these people she had truly cared for were now completely different because of this incident.

She didn’t know if, in their hearts, she had forever become Zhang Xingying’s killer. In the choice between life and death, she had chosen to protect herself, forcing Zhang Xingying to his death.

But these thoughts only flashed briefly. Like a blade cutting across her heart, too quick for blood to even drop, she had already raised her head to look at Wang Zongshi, saying: “Whether he was Zhang Xingying or my old friend doesn’t matter; whether the person being framed was me or not is also insignificant. Huang Zixia only wants to uncover the truth, regardless of who is involved.”

“Heh.” Wang Zongshi gave a cold laugh, but seeing her calm expression, he said nothing more, only gesturing for her to sit in the hall. After tea was served and only the two of them remained in the hall, he finally said: “Zhang Xingying’s death is ultimately insignificant. After all, now that Prince Kui is under supervision in the Clan Court, who would care about a prince’s guard?”

Huang Zixia nodded silently, saying: “It’s just that he and I were always close, why he would now be instigated to act against me is worth investigating.”

“What’s so hard to guess about the reason behind this? You investigate Prince E’s cause of death, naturally, some people don’t want you to reveal the truth and save Prince Kui. So, they must kill you first to prevent future troubles.”

Hearing him speak so casually, Huang Zixia couldn’t help but clench her hands. Her nails dug into her palms, the slight pain helping her barely control herself as she answered softly and calmly: “Yes… that was my guess as well.”

His gaze swept across her face, and seeing her composure, he picked up his teacup and said: “Early this morning, news arrived. I think this news is too significant to be relayed by others, so I came personally to inform you.”

Huang Zixia knew this was his purpose and asked: “What news is it?”

Wang Zongshi looked down at the tea leaves floating in his cup, his voice low: “Yesterday, a secret memorial from the north arrived. The Zhenwu Military Commissioner Li Yong has unauthorized renovated fortifications, disregarding court control, showing signs of movement in the north.”

Huang Zixia thought briefly and said: “Zhenwu Military Commissioner Li Yong was originally a Chang’an merchant, after several ups and downs, now commands the Zhenwu army. He’s quite bold to dare to expand his military camp without authorization?”

“Indeed, if even he has such courage, how could other military commissioners remain content? At most, they just move slower, make smaller movements, or are better at concealing their actions, don’t you think?” Wang Zongshi looked at her with an ambiguous smile.

Huang Zixia nodded silently. With the emperor seriously ill, the crown prince young, and Prince Kui who controlled the military commissioners suddenly losing power, the various garrison commanders only needed someone to take the lead, and others would follow. And now, the first one had appeared.

Seeing her uncertain expression, Wang Zongshi said methodically: “For Prince Kui, this matter truly has both good and bad aspects. What do you think?”

Huang Zixia nodded, saying: “Yes. Whether it’s good or bad depends entirely on His Majesty’s thoughts.”

If the emperor wanted to use Prince Kui’s influence to pacify the various military commissioners, then even though Li Shubo now bore enormous crimes, restoring his former authority would only be a matter of time.

But if the emperor felt that Prince Kui held sway over the regional armies and worried that with the crown prince being young, the imperial uncle’s power would be too great, then he might first eliminate the greatest threat to the new emperor’s throne. In that case, Li Shubo would not only fail to restore his former glory, but his life would likely be in danger.

Huang Zixia felt her chest tighten, her breathing becoming somewhat unstable: “Master has keen insight and is His Majesty’s most trusted person, do you know His Majesty’s exact intentions?”

“The emperor’s mind has always been hard to fathom, let alone for a mere eunuch servant like me?” Wang Zongshi twisted his lips mockingly, then said, “But it will only be a few days, His Majesty will surely make a decision, you just need to remember to wait here patiently.”

“Yes.” She responded softly.

Wang Zongshi was about to say something else when suddenly footsteps came from outside, quick and light, the bouncing steps of a youth. The melon seed-eating young man knocked on the door, then pushed it open, ran to Wang Zongshi’s side, and whispered something in his ear.

Wang Zongshi lifted his eyelids to look at Huang Zixia, then slowly put down his teacup, asking softly: “So soon?”

The youth nodded once.

Wang Zongshi turned to look at Huang Zixia and said: “Come, let me take you to see a play.”

Huang Zixia was confused and instinctively asked: “See a play?”

“Yes, a play… that you won’t expect. After watching it, you’ll feel more depressed, your mood will be even lower—but you definitely won’t want to miss it.”